It is an enormous achievement to win Mr. Universe. However, Mike Mentzer couldn’t help but reflect back on it after pulling off one of his most historic victories. An audio clip from the late icon’s life related to his Mr. Universe win was published on Heavy Duty College’s YouTube channel.
The bodybuilding world has always regarded Mike Mentzer as a revolutionary. He was always ahead of his time, but despite all of his greatness, was never able to taste a Mr. Olympia title. Nevertheless, he was an unstoppable rival in other contests, even if he lost the Mr. Olympia title in 1980. In fact, Mentzer’s enthusiasm for Mr.Olympia came right after his perfect 1978 Mr. Universe victory.
Two years after his triumph at Mr. America, Mentzer took home his first IFBB Mr. Universe title in Acapulco, Mexico. Also noteworthy was the fact that the late legend achieved an unprecedented feat, a perfect 300, in the competition’s history.
However, the difference between Mentzer’s two title wins in a span of a few years was pretty vast. The satisfaction he experienced after winning Mr. America was missing after the Mr. Universe contest. Mentzer did emphasize on his statement in the resurfaced tape:
“In terms of personal satisfaction and elation, it was not what winning the Mr. America was. Winning the Mr. America involved a sense of achievement and triumph that nothing else after even came close to.”
Mentzer did admit that both of the contests he won are highly regarded. However, in contrast to his time as Mr. America, he highlighted one detail from the Mr. Universe event:
“I was glad to have won the Mr. Universe, of course, especially with a 300 perfect score, but it was anticlimatic. There was a point where I was thinking. ‘What did I go through all that for?'”
Mike Mentzer taking inspiration for HIT from the 19-year-old Mr. America
Even though he was a pioneer of HIT, the technique was initially alien to Mike Mentzer. Even before he met Arthur Jones, the late icon looked up to his competitors for motivation. Mentzer regarded Casey Viator in great esteem after seeing his 1971 Mr. America victory, even though they competed side by side. Viator won the title at the tender age of 19, and the late legend hardly saw him sweating it out in the gym for hours daily.
Following Viator’s lead, Mentzer rethought his workout regimen and adopted what he eventually dubbed the HIT. The three-weekly training rule was quite rigorous, and Mentzer stuck to it. The late icon spent the remainder of the week recovering his muscles, which helped him become one of the greatest physiques in the industry. He further enhanced the HIT program after connecting with Arthur Jones, who also mentored him to his Mr. America and Mr. Universe wins.
